Jenny hears something haunting in her house – at the same time, every night – but her husband Sam isn’t having any of it. Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash in Danny Robins’ record-breaking stage hit 2:22 – A Ghost Story, which sees Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton take the lead roles as the production creeps into Bristol Hippodrome 18-23 August.
As the first real-life couple to star in 2:22 – A Ghost Story, Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton are relishing the chance to work together again. It’s been seven years since they took the Glitterball Trophy on Strictly Come Dancing. “And that feels like a really long time ago,” says Dooley now. The presenter, journalist and actress starred in the smash-hit thriller for a limited run at the Gielgud Theatre in the West End in 2024.
She played Jenny, a young mother who along with her husband Sam has recently moved into a house that they are in the process of renovating. Every night at precisely 2:22am they hear strange and disconcerting sounds in a nerve-shredding thriller that The Guardian has hailed as “A slick, chilling romp of a play”.
Written by Danny Robins and premiering in 2021, it was one of dancer and musical theatre star Clifton’s favourite plays even before he saw Dooley in it. “So that was another reason for us to say yes to the tour,” he says.
The couple are parents to two-year-old Minnie and they’ll be taking her on the road with them when they embark on the 2:22 tour from early August until late November, with Stacey admitting: “Of course, travelling the country with a two-year-old will bring its own stresses, but it’s great that we can all be together as a family.”
She smiles. “Kev and I have very different approaches. I take my work seriously, but he really throws himself into things, so he’ll be examining and dissecting every line of the script.”
Dooley and Clifton are speaking ahead of rehearsals. “And I think the first day or so in the rehearsal room will be interesting,” Kevin muses. “There’s the real you when you’re hanging out with your mates or your family, then there’s the work version of you, and it feels odd when friends or family see the work version of you because they’re used to the real you. Stace knows everything about me and the way I am in normal life, so for us to become these different characters with each other will be quite funny until we relax into it.”
It’s a very different dynamic to the one they had on Strictly, with Stacey noting: “Kev was the expert in that instance and he knew Strictly inside out. I felt incredibly well looked after and it was like a teacher-student relationship.” With 2:22 Dooley has done the play before and it’s Clifton’s first non-musical. “So it’s like a role reversal,” she says.
Has she given him any pointers? They both laugh as Stacey jokes: “I’ve told him ‘Listen Kev, I’m very happy to nurture new talent, so if you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to ask!’”
And will he listen to her advice? “I’m going to have to! But you would anyway, wouldn’t you? With colleagues, the whole idea is to share ideas and to listen.” Plus, Stacey points out that for her it’s a different cast and a different director in Gabriel Vega Weissman. “It’s going to feel new for me as well. It’s as much a learning curve for me as it is for him.”
Scared witless
In the edge-of-the-seat story, Jenny is convinced the house is haunted but Sam is having none of it. When their old friend Lauren and her new partner Ben come round for dinner, belief and scepticism clash and they agree to stay up until 2:22 to try and find out what’s really going on.
For Stacey, Jenny is a relatable character. “We can either see parts of ourselves in Jenny or we’ve got pals who remind us of her. She’s a teacher, so she’s got a lot going on work-wise. And she’s a mum, who’s just trying to find her feet, so I can relate to her on that level too. When you have a baby you’re like ‘Oh, God, who am I apart from Mum?’”
Kevin sees Sam as an equally recognisable character. “We all know at least one Sam in our circles – someone who’s a bit of a know-it-all, who has read a few things on social media and now considers himself an expert.”
It’s one of those shows where
you’re tempted to go and see it a second or third time because there’s so much to it, and it’s even more intriguing once you’re aware of
how it ends
Dooley was drawn to the play the first time around because of parallels with her own life. “I had just had a little girl and we had just moved house, so I could totally understand where Jenny was coming from. But Jenny’s probably a bit more placid than I am and a bit sweeter. I don’t think I’m patient enough to be a teacher.”
And is Kevin anything like Sam? “I don’t think so, but maybe I used to be. When I was in my early 20s I liked going against the grain of everyone’s opinions. For example, if you’d told me you liked a particular pop song I’d say ‘Well, that’s because they’ve taken it from another song from the 70s and it’s actually not an original idea’. I’ve grown out of that now.”
There’s another big difference. “Jenny and Sam’s dynamic is a world away from how me and Kev interact,” Stacey is keen to point out. “We’re pretty chill. We haven’t got the kind of head-butty relationship that they have.”
Since its 2021 premiere 2:22 has enjoyed a series of West End residences and headed out on its first UK tour in 2023. It has also played Los Angeles, Australia and Ireland, and Stacey thinks it attracts return visits because: “It’s one of those shows where once you’ve seen it, you’re tempted to go and see it a second or third time because there’s so much to it, and it’s even more intriguing once you’re aware of how it ends.”
Without giving spoilers, Kevin chimes in with: “It’s cleverly-written, it’s very interesting in terms of the subject matter, and it’s also entertaining all the way through.” Not naming names, he adds: “You go and watch some plays and they’re like pure entertainment with not much depth to them. Others are really highbrow and you sort of need a manual to understand them. This one hits the sweet spot.”
Cast members Shvorne Marks
and Grant Kilburn
Reprising her role
Luton-born Dooley came to fame as a documentarian, earning an MBE in 2018 for services to broadcasting. That same year she and Clifton were partnered on Strictly Come Dancing and emerged as the winners.
She made her stage debut in 2:22 in August last year and she’s really looking forward to playing Jenny again, saying: “This probably sounds cheesy but I really fell in love with the art of theatre. I loved every single aspect of putting a show together. There was such a sense of camaraderie and I loved being on stage every night. And now with the tour I do believe that regional theatre is hugely important. Everybody around the country should have the opportunity to be exposed to different kinds of shows.”
Clifton started out as a professional dancer before his seven-year tenure on Strictly turned him into a household name. Since leaving the show he has starred in such musicals as Rock of Ages, War of the Worlds, Strictly Ballroom and Chicago, but 2:22 marks his first time appearing in a straight play. “I’m trying to play it cool,” he grins, “but I’m really excited about this moment. I’m a huge fan of 2:22 and when I first saw it I thought ‘I’d love to be part of this play’. I love theatre and I love doing musicals, but as I’d been saying to Stace, ‘At some point doing a straight play is the goal’. Now it’s a reality and I’m buzzing about it.”
There’s something about scary stuff that takes you to the edge of your emotions, and maybe there’s a bit of safety in numbers for the audience
Thrills and spills
They both have their theories as to why theatregoers enjoy a good thriller. “There’s something about scary stuff that takes you to the edge of your emotions,” Kevin feels, “and maybe there’s a bit of safety in numbers for the audience where they’re all in it together. They’re on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what’s going to happen next.”
Having been in the show already Stacey agrees, adding: “During rehearsals you think you have an idea of how it’s going to play out, then you hear the audience gasp. It’s a thrill. There are points in the show where you hear them scream and you’re delighted because you see how invested they are.”
For the record, Clifton scares easily when it comes to horror stories, Dooley not so much. And in real life? “The only thing I can’t deal with is rodents,” she grimaces. “There was a mouse in the kitchen of a house we’ve been doing up and I told Kev, ‘We’ll have to move’.” He wasn’t fazed, laughing: “My fears are more about kind of deep existential stuff.”
Getting to tour together in a play was one of the main draws for a couple whose busy schedules often keep them apart. “Kev is on tour a lot and he’ll be all over the place,” Stacey says, “and if I’m at work often my locations are further afield. The timing is right and it’s probably the last time we can do something like this before Minnie will be three or four, and we’ll be thinking about preschool and stuff like that.”
Kevin smiles again. “We’re striking while the iron is hot.
Written by Danny Robins, creator of the hit BBC podcasts Uncanny and The Battersea Poltergeist, 2:22 – A Ghost Story comes fresh from record-breaking seasons at five West End theatres with a host of acclaimed star performances. The show arrives at Bristol Hippodrome on 18 August, with performances until 23 August.
For more information, and to book tickets, visit the venue’s website: atgtickets.com/bristol
